Better Than Planned
by JasperK
Summary: A sequel (of sorts) to cmr2014's 'Target Practice' What happens when Millie arrives home . . .


_A/N: This is for cmr2014, he wrote _Target Practice_ and (for various reasons) I couldn't resist giving it a sequel. _

_Thanks for the awesome tale cmr2014 & permission to post this._

_Go check out his great stories, well worth a read!_

* * *

Millie came home to find Wolfwood caked in dust and sweat, busy filling a bucket of water by the tomas that was tethered to the veranda railing. On the veranda and Vash sprawled out in the rocking chair, his hair in disarray.  
"What happened Mister Priest?" She asked worriedly. "Did bounty hunters come by? Do we have visitors? Why is there a tomas here?"  
Vash gave a snort of laughter.  
Wolfwood cleared his throat before Vash could voice the gleeful mischief written all over his face. He was clearly itching to share the news of his stupidity. Well, he wasn't doing that in front of Millie.  
"I had a small accident..."  
"Oh? Is that why're you so dirty?" Millie said, concerned. "Are you alright?"  
"Yep." Wolfwood ignored his skinned knee he had received on skidding around the corner of a building.  
"Mister Vash?" Millie glanced worriedly at him.  
Vash was shaking his head while chuckling silently.  
"Are you hurt?"  
"Not badly." Vash grinned and hauled himself into a sitting position in the chair.  
"But that doesn't explain the tomas."  
Vash sniggered again, and leaned over as his silent laughter put a stitch in his side.  
"Er, this is the replacement." Wolfwood said.  
"For what?"  
"Um, my bike?" Wolfwood explained, now beginning to feel more than a little foolish.  
Millie gaped at the tomas as it ignored the water and searched for food.  
"But, but you said you'd take me to the dance at Ludvik's Saloon on the other side of town."  
"What!" Wolfwood exclaimed in panic. "That was tonight?"  
"Yes!" Millie said happily. "Miss Meryl was making fruit pies for the pudding contest; I came home early to help her with them. Ooh, I'm already late. Miss Meryl will be upset." She hurried past him and up the stairs.  
Wolfwood glanced at Vash and saw the same guilty expression on his face.  
Millie rattled the door knob.  
"Why is it locked? Where is Miss Meryl?"  
"Ask Wolfwood." Vash said, like a spineless coward, Wolfwood thought.  
"Why me?" He bristled. "You also shot up the fruit!"  
"You did what?" Millie exclaimed gaping at him.  
"Oi! I only suggested fruit because we needed better targets!" Wolfwood said defensively.  
"Better targets?" Vash exclaimed. "You were the one who missed the Zombie!"  
"Zombie?" Millie said faintly.  
"Ugh! That was because you were ragging on at me about physics!" Wolfwood exclaimed.  
"Physics?" Millie echoed in bewilderment.  
"That was because you stupidly put cold water in your overheated radiator!" Vash declared.  
"Mister Priest?" Milly giggled. "Did you really do that?"  
Wolfwood turned away so that he wouldn't scowl at her, and let Vash take the full force of it. Vash was still sniggering, the traitor.  
"Oh yes he did." Meryl said from behind her. "Come in, Millie, we're having supper. Then we're going to the dance on Wolfwood's tomas. I'm sure we'll find plenty of other young men willing to dance."  
"W-what?" Vash exclaimed.  
"We said sorry!" Wolfwood protested as Meryl locked the door again.  
"Oh man." Vash said, for the first time that afternoon he had lost his smile. It returned slowly, with more mischief in his expression. "Do you think if we head over to the saloon now, we'd be able to buy a pudding on the way and freshen up there before this dance thing?"  
"Only if we take the tomas." Wolfwood said.

Meryl stepped out of the house in a pale mauve dress, and Millie followed her in a flowing green one. There was no tomas, no men and no way to get to the dance. She clenched her fists in fury.  
"Ooh! That man! When I get my hands on him…"

Her words were cut short when around the corner came trotting the tomas Wolfwood had hired. Her mouth fell open when she saw that Wolfwood, now wearing a tux, was driving the open carriage it pulled.  
"Ooh!" Millie exclaimed as it drew to a halt beside the house and Vash hopped down from the seats. He had somehow brushed his coat 'till it put Wolfwood's tux to shame.  
"Would you like to come to the dance?" Vash asked, with a flourishing bow and not very subtle attempts to get Meryl to smile at him. Wolfwood turned away; he was having difficulty not laughing.  
"Oh yes!" Millie clapped her hands. Vash gallantly helped her up beside Wolfwood.  
Vash eventually convinced Meryl to relent and handed her up into the carriage.  
"Ooh! What's this?" She exclaimed at the box with a ribbon tied around it that lay on the seat beside her.  
"Pudding for the competition!" Vash explained.  
Meryl stared at it.  
"Don't you like it?" He asked worriedly.  
Meryl began to laugh; Wolfwood breathed out a sigh and clucked the tomas into motion.  
"Vash," she explained. "It's a contest, one has to bake it oneself."  
"Oh."  
Wolfwood sniggered.  
Vash glared at him as if to say _he_ hadn't known either, but Meryl had decided that that gesture was worth a kiss. After a moment Vash quite forgot Wolfwood, let alone his irritation. Wolfwood put his arm around Millie and she snuggled up to him. All in all, it was a good thing he had broken his bike, and they had shot up the fruit, this had worked out much better than any of them could have planned.


End file.
